What is Model Railroading to You?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

In recent months, there have been numerous threads discussing the “real way” of model railroading, which in most cases ended up as

  • R-T-R vs. the Scratchbuilder
  • Steam vs. The Dieselman
  • Scale vs. Toy
  • DC vs. DCC
  • Operator vs. Player and many more “cases”.

It seems to me, that there are as many different aspects to our hobby as there are different people. This leads me to asking the question, what model railroading is to you.

For me, it is recreating the feeling I had as a little boy, when my father took me to the local train station on weekends to watch trains. The sounds and sights, the smell of the steam locos, the squealing noise of a train stopping, the blurred sound of the announcements, the harsh “clang” when the doors were thrown shut - I start to get carried away… [:)]

It is all about an illusion, recreating the magic of those days…

And for you?

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For me, it’s primarily something to enjoy. It’s something to fill the time, and I know I’ve developed a few skills I didn’t have before;

  • Wiring
  • Woodwork
  • Scenery building
  • Mechanical maintenance

I live in Queensland, Australia, where our main rail network is 3’6" gauge. I model the AT&SF in New Mexico, 32 years before I was born. I guess what it is to me is a way to capture the spirit of a place that I’ve never visited - like I’ve got my own slice of the USA in my train room. And it’s fun!

3

Model railroading is everything! LOL

Not quite everything, but for me it is a great way to escape from a high stress and intensive job not to mention the unbearable Texas heat and Houston humidity.

It also allows me to return to the days of growing up in the 1950’s and enjoying great experiences of railfanning the B&O, Pennsy, N&W and Virginian with my Grandfather. I enjoy being able to bring back those fun times and great equipment in HO.

It’s also a great way to experience all the fun & neat things required to create a model railroad like wood working, electrical and scenery building. I have learned many new skills that have helped me with daily life too. It’s also opened the way to really cool tools like my resistance soldering rig and airbrushes.

I really enjoy operation. I run the whole route from R-T-R to scratchbuilding. I’m mostly steam but have some diesels. I do DCC & sound.

Roger Huber

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Locomotives.

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For me its always been switching operation using a "minimalist"style layout even tho’ I enjoy adding the basic details and realistic mini scenes between operation.

I see the other things like building,painting etc as necessary evils needed to achieve the end goal.Over the last few years I perfer RTR engines and cars to help speed up the process.I am not above buying prebuilt or use structures.

I am still having tons of fun doing industrial switching just like I did when I started this style of operation in the 60s…

And that sums up the hobby for me.

6

Hi from Belgium,

It’s creating something, do it better again and again; its the sentation to create my own world.

I am not the first to say that; I am a beleiver that somewhere modeling trains is a kind of art.

It’s not just playing with toys, because it’s involve so much matter you need to put togheter to create something which could reflect reality.

It’s also somewhere a way to get out from the real reality an create my own.

But it’s seem a liitle bit philosophic but be sure I am not mad…[:-^]

For Ulrich an another shot of the Maclau River.

Marc

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OK, here goes:

Goals -

Build a realistic, operational, but fictional representation of part of a railroad from a different time in history - in my case the Mid Atlantic region of the US in 1954.

Use the fictional or “Protolanced” feature to model believable “what if” or “could have been” items of personal interest.

Provide for both good display value operation for non rail fan guests as well as good prototype operation for more serious “operating sessions”. Be able to run multiple trains for display running with only one operator - ME.

Represent all aspects of railroad operation possible, main line, freight, passenger, switching, servicing, industies, and simple “getting them over the line”.

Have realism balanced with artistic interpratation - working signals, trains long enough to represent actual practice, resonably accurate models, etc. Avoid inconsistancies like some locos having sound and some not.

Methods -

Use a combination of RTR (usually modified in some way), kits and scratch building to build/create unique models that are reasonable representations of the place and time modeled.

Preference to use less expensive models (assuming they perform well) and inhance them rather than buy expensive “perfect” models. (higher sense of personal achievement).

Solve problems with new methods and ideas, not just “do what everyone else does”, finding best solution for specfic goals at lowest reasonable cost.

Things I enjoy -

Layouts large enough for long trains and sweeping scenic vistas.

Big time railroading, double track, busy schedules, long trains.

Careful design and planning for the desired result, I don’t just “figure it out as I go”, I have a plan whic

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Hi!

I’ve been “playing with trains” since the mid-'50s, starting with Marx, then Lionel, then HO, a short stint in N, and back to HO. I’m currently building another layout, and enjoying it thoroughly (although it is challenging and DCC is relatively new to me).

My transition era Model Railroading brings me back to “better days” of my youth, train watching the C&NW in Chicago and the IC in southern Illinois. It has been my adult “pacifier”, especially during difficult times when I was working in the “earl bizzness”. Today, being retired, the trains & layout give me a challenge, and working with DCC (something I once said I would never do) has been very satisfying. Frankly, the firing up of a BLI Northern just makes me smile when that whistle is sounded!

The other area of happiness with the hobby is involved with the creativity and skills I have honed over the years. I’ve always enjoyed working with wood and mechanics, and the layout building process has let me use those skills and more. Surprising to me, is I’ve created some fairly decent painted backdrops, and am starting to understand the electronics of DCC. To me, this is just incredible, for “painting pictures” (not houses) and electronics (not wiring/electricity) has been something that just was “too much” for me earlier on.

Model railroading has something for everyone (IMHO), and I recommend it highly to anyone who has even a passing interest in railroading.

ENJOY,

Mobilman44

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Which begs the question…why are we all moving South if the weather is as miserable there as it is up North? Living in Iowa, we have 4 seasons, so we see it all. Heat and Humidity suck. Give me snow anyday [:)]

But you’re right, the population migration continues South. Pretty soon I’ll have the whole Northern frontier to myself.

10

OK—interesting question here

Kitbashing, scratchbuilding, modifying RTR pieces, trying to do weathering, building up the scenery on the layout, learning how to wire the layout better, reading all kindsa MRR magazines–from 1940’s till now, getting more ideas and methods—

Operating sessions, the social aspects----of trainshows and forums----

All kindsa neat stuff!![swg]

11

What I most enjoy is creating something that is all mine. Building the layout brings me the greatest satisfaction. No committees, no review boards, no consultation, no meetings, etc. Benchwork, tracklaying, wiring, scenery, etc - I love it all. And when I’m done, it’s all mine. Probably why I am a lone wolf modeler.

I also enjoy running the trains and tinkering with the parts to make them work better.

Scratch / parts building is something I also enjoy, although the layout take priority.

Enjoy

Paul

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Yes. please stay up there. [swg]

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For me, model railroading is a social hobby. The thing I enjoy most is the great people I’ve met through it, and the friendships I’ve developed that extend well beyond any train layout.

I do like the artistic aspect of it, but I would rather run RTR cars with friends than build craftsman kits locked in my basement like a hermit.

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It’s mine!! All mine!!

MUAAAHAAHAAHAA!!!

so there-----heeheehee[(-D]

15

To me, it’s relaxation and a dieversion from everything…

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To me, well… huh? I think it means a few things to me.

1] A way to flow my liking for trains away from “[high pitched voice] mommy! mommy! I see a twain!” Thats kinda it, tis just this fascination of the history. When I was in SD, I stopped at 1880s town, a historic town from 1880 restored, a railroad wen through it. In the town, there was an 0-4-0T, I stepped inside it to document it, and I was overwhelmed with this sense of being so small, kind of. I looked at the fragments of blue and green trim, and I just imagined the other people who had, nearly a hundred years before, run that locomotive. It was just an overwhelming experience that tested my very sanity. I get the same feeling whenever I take out a book I have from my uncle I think, some person related to me. The book is from 1886. It says on the front cover “The history of America In one syllable.” On the inside of the front cover, it says Happy birthday son.

2] It gives me a way to escape from the Textual Analysis and Argumentation Kwame Appiah paper, and the Great Ideas and Observations in the History of Science Sundial project. If I didnt have Model Railroading, Id be sitting in a funny farm by now.

17

Its dangerous to get too heady about model trains,one can become preoccupied.

I like Irvw’s feeling of history he gets when standing in the cab of an old engine. I was at the Little Bighorn battlefield last year and had a really intense feeling about what went on there. It seems the older I get the earlier the period of modeling I do. I’m 65.

I’ve gotta keep my hands busy,if not trains,then ships or planes,or woodworking. Otherwise I get into trouble.

Also the older I get the more I resent being without my shop. BILL

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While surfing in the web, I found Norm´s Train Pages

The pictures capture exactly the spirit I try to recreate in my little Sir Madog world!

Here is just an example:

This is what model railroading is about for me. The guy on the pic could be me in my late teens, chasin´ steam before it was made obsolete in the mid 1970´s in Germany.

(Easy, folks - it is O gauge Hi-Rail - so what?)

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For me it is a way of life and probably: Part D: All of the above. Peter Smith, Memphis

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For me, model railroading has been many things:

  • A way to capture and hold a little of the joy I felt when I visited certain places at certain times.

  • A virtually painless way to collect knowledge in archaeology, zoology and most of the -ologies in between.

  • A safe outlet for some of my more dangerous flights of mechanical fancy.

  • A firm anchor amidst the shifting tides of a military career.

And now the dirty little secret - the feeling of power! In most of my life, I’ve been the mild-mannered Clark Kent (or as close as I could fake it as a Master Sergeant…) In the railroad space, I’m Superman.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - when and as I like to)